Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 21 (1906)

Lt 354, 1906

Amadon, G. W.

St. Helena, California

September 19, 1906

Portions of this letter are published in HFM 82-84; 10MR 62.

G. W. Amadon

Dear Brother Amadon:

I wish to say to you and to the leading men in the church and to the trustees of the tabernacle, that light has been given to me very distinctly that Elder A. T. Jones has taken a position that divorces him from the privileges of the use of the tabernacle. He does not know what spirit is leading him. Efforts are being made in an underhand way to get possession of the tabernacle. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 1

Brethren, be on guard. Keep burnished for action the weapons of your warfare, which is the Word of God. Pray, believe, and walk humbly with God; and let all your prayers be without ceasing, that God shall be glorified. Make a most earnest effort to call to Battle Creek the very best ministerial talent, men of experience in the early days of the message, men who will give the trumpet a certain sound. Hold the fort. Do not let it be taken by those who have placed themselves decidedly in a position of opposition to the truth which God has given us for these last days. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 2

Our call is, Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and the tabernacle should be set apart decidedly to those who are true and loyal. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 3

Those who have denied the faith, and who would now tear down that which in past years they have labored to build up, should understand that they have no lot nor part in the faith that has firmly held the people of God in unity. You do not know how earnestly they will work to get possession of the tabernacle. But this must not be permitted. In no case should a decidedly opposing element be permitted to hold forth in the tabernacle. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 4

Since daylight I have written eleven pages in regard to the manufacture and sale of flake foods on the Pacific Coast. Dr. Kellogg and his brother offer to sell for forty-five thousand dollars the right to manufacture and sell corn flakes in a certain section. The light given me is that we are not to accept this offer. Neither the territory nor the knowledge regarding health foods belongs to Dr. Kellogg. This is the Lord’s talent. He has not made it over to any man, to be handled as his own property and invention and to speculate upon for his own benefit. It has not been given to any man to be used to oppress his fellow men. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 5

“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion: every man to his brother; and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” [Zechariah 7:9, 10.] 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 6

The third and fourth chapters of Malachi teach many important lessons. They are full of weighty sentences. We are to consider these chapters carefully. The Lord is weighing character. Every chapter of the work carried on in Battle Creek has been recorded in the books of heaven, from the first action to the last. Our people are not to invest large sums of money in the production of health foods. It has been plainly stated that the light regarding health foods was not given for one man’s benefit alone. I have been given light on this subject. We are not to accept this offer. Our people can use the talent God has given them to prepare foods such as He would be pleased to have them prepare for the use of the common people. The Lord has given the sunshine and the rain, and has caused the fruit to grow, and the earth to produce that which may be prepared for the food of mankind. He requires His family diligently to till the soil, that it may produce those things that may be used as food. They are to plant the seed and care for it as it grows. This is the provision that He has made for man’s food. He has given genius and tact to man, that he may prepare from the fruit of the earth a great variety of foods. Grains, vegetables, and fruits are to be planted and cultivated. The ground is to be dressed and worked, and the earth will produce her treasures. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 7

The angels were the husbandmen who, under God, educated Adam and Eve to cultivate the soil and to care for the fruit trees provided in great variety for the use of mankind. God has given to man the great garden of the earth and knowledge and wisdom by which to produce the best results. The blessings of the field, the blessings of the orchard, and all other fruits of the soil are to be faithfully tithed, “that there may be meat in Mine house.” [Malachi 3:10.] Specified offerings and gifts were also to be made to help the poor and to sustain the work of God in its growth. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 8

Men and women are to be taught how to prepare food for the common people. This branch of education is to be given a place in every school established. The students are to be patiently taught how to cook, as well as how to read. The very best methods are to be employed in teaching the industries essential to every-day life. Instruction is to be faithfully given in simple methods of treating the sick. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 9

The Lord has given to us as a people great knowledge upon health reform. The work is to go forward. But God forbid that the food business should continue to take so large a place as it has taken. The capabilities and talents of valuable workers are not to be confined to the production of foods, while spiritual interests become secondary. This is a matter that must be dealt with upon a right basis, else it will become a great hindrance to us in our work of soul-saving. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 10

“Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying, Speak unto the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain? 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 11

“And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother; and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in His Spirit by the former prophets; therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as He cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts; but I scattered them with the whirlwind among all the nations which they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, and no man passed through nor returned; for they laid the pleasant land desolate.” [Zechariah 7:4-14.] 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 12

The judgments of the Lord will surely come upon our cities. Since the San Francisco earthquake, much wickedness has been seen in Oakland. Murders and violence and crime are breaking out on every side. We are now to give the last message of warning to Oakland. Brother and Sister Haskell are laboring there. Elder W. W. Simpson, from Los Angeles, is now in Oakland and will soon begin his labors. He has been very successful in his work in Los Angeles, and he will now labor for a time in Oakland. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 13

I have been helping in the work that is being done in Oakland. After the tent was taken down, I spoke in the church that our people are renting. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 14

The large tent is again pitched in Oakland, and I spoke there last Sabbath and Sunday. I am enjoying better health than I have for many years. During the Oakland camp-meeting I spoke several times. In spite of all this labor, I was not in the least wearied, but was refreshed. Our ministers say that it is a miracle that I can speak with such power. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 15

We must now wake up and take hold in earnest; for the people seem to be spiritually paralyzed. We need the converting power of God. We ask our brethren in Battle Creek to be wide-awake and to work for Him with all their energies. We need to watch on the right hand and on the left, and we must keep the armor on. We must not let the enemy steal upon us. The judgments of God will come all unexpectedly. I do hope that the Lord’s people in Battle Creek will not fall into the sleep of death. 21LtMs, Lt 354, 1906, par. 16